Sketching Skills

/
Sketching Skills

My two favorite tools are a sharp pencil and a pad of gridded/graphing paper. Whenever I set out to make anything, be it a tiny clay deer sculpture or a floor plan, I make a sketch. It helps me work out my ideas and get down to details. I'm a visual thinker, and both of my kids seem to be as well, so I supply them with their own pads of graph paper to plot out their ideas.  The grids have helped Wylie with scale and consistency while he learns to write his name, and Jasper has used it to make comic books, and has recently started drawing pictures in perspective. Armed with with these simple tools it's pretty amazing to see what they come up with... 

Read More

Design For Small

/
Design For Small

I got another package in the mail from Princeton Architectural Press.  Enclosed were two books and a hand written note letting me know they are publishing their first architecture series for children. The "Who Built That?" books look at famous examples of important houses and buildings and their famous architects, from Frank Lloyd Wright and his amazing Fallingwater to Mies Van Der Rohe with a little shout out to Bauhaus and utilitarian design, to the wacky, sculptural work of Frank Gehry. I dare say I learned a few things about some of my favorite buildings, and it seems the perfect way to kick off a little mini-series about teaching applied art/design to children. Here's a peek into the book about modern homes. 

Read More

The Days Are Long

/
The Days Are Long

The dog days of summer are upon us. Gone is the magic of school letting out, the first splash in the pool, and cool bite of a popsicle; we are now firmly in boredom territory. It’s time to get creative. So for today I’m giving you a real dog day project, using not much more than a little cardboard, some Scotch® Duct Tape, and a couple of old toy cars. I promise you hours of amusement and hands on fun. And wouldn’t you know it, before we started construction on the new deck, we made a little movie!

Read More

Kind Words

/
Kind Words

I'm a sucker for pretty concert posters and simple art prints.  They can add a little something to small spaces like a bathroom wall or a kid's room, and I'm totally smitten with this one. I think "Be The Good" is going to be our new family motto. It's from Children Inspire Design, a line of modern, eco-friendly wall art, wall cards, and posters printed on recycled papers using soy based inks.  I extra love this shop because they donate 10% of their sale proceeds to woman and child focused charities. I've run a business before, and 10% is a lot. 

Read More